Sherlock Book Reviews - Sherlock Cat and The Missing Mousie
Posted by Steve Emecz on
There have been a lot of kids books related to Sherlock Holmes. There are countless variations of the adventures of the Baker Street Irregulars in various combinations. There are several series looking at the life of Young Sherlock Holmes. All serve to give young readers a sense of who Holmes is, serving as a gateway to lead them to the true Canon. This book does the same, but in a new and unique way – a Sherlockian mystery narrated by cats.
Unlike the “Basil of Baker Street” series by Eve Titus, which had Holmes and Watson-like mice living with Holmes and Watson in 221b Baker Street, this series has modern-day housecats, Fluff and Spot, who know of Holmes and Watson, and prefer to call themselves by those names while they investigate the sorts of mysteries that enter into their cat world – including a new cat who calls himself “Moriarty – The Napoleon of Cat Crime”. (And there’s even a Basil mouse . . . .)
The book is excellently illustrated by Amanda Downs, and one only wishes that there were even more illustrations. It will be interesting to see what this Holmes and Watson get into next time . . . .
Reedsy Discovery
A delightful book with educational and positive messaging, to be enjoyed by all age-groups.
Sherlock Cat and The Missing Mousie by MX Publishing is a delightful book for young readers and also adults. It is a wonderful way to introduce inquisitive children to the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It is also the perfect book for adults to indulge in between heavy reading.
I enjoyed the playful story of two pampered cats in a household, Fluffy and Spot. When Spot asks, “Don’t you crave more?”, we know he is facing an existential crisis. Much like Don Quixote, the stories he hears every evening in the Man’s library inspire him to seek an adventure. Spot goes around looking for a mystery to solve and enlists Fluffy as his scribe. Well, it all starts like a misadventure for these novice feline detectives.
Spot suspects something fishy in the neighbor’s house, and his curiosity gets them dangerously close to the dog, Toby. Then, his favorite toy companion mouse goes missing. Fluffy wants to help Spot because she knows her friend is sad. The book has positive vibes. It touches upon camaraderie and encouragement in the face of failure. The story is educational while being humorous. There is a clever reference to the popular book, The Three-Body Problem, but I doubt children will get a drift of the reference.
The story reminded me of my favorite series, Tom and Jerry. There are nice drawings in the book. The images could be more lively and colorful instead of being so crisp and accurate. The real treasure is the narration and the story that ties it all together. This one-hour reading will keep you engrossed in the adventure of two sincere cats and their investigations.
Sherlock Cat and The Missing Mousie is available from this site with a share to our good causes and also from:
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)
“From now on, I am going to be Sherlock Holmes, the World’s Greatest Cat Detective.”
With those words, my friend Spot decided he would become a crime-solving kitty.
“And you, of course,” he said dramatically. “Will be my faithful friend, Dr. John Watson. The one who writes down all of my adventures and shares them with the world! We’ll be famous! Everyone will know the name ‘Sherlock Holmes, The World’s Greatest Cat Detective!’”
“Mm hmm,” I agreed. I wasn’t too worried. I was sure that, by morning, Spot would have forgotten all about becoming Sherlock Holmes.
Boy, oh boy, was I wrong.